Copy of Senior User Researcher, Consumer (m/f/d)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior User Researcher, Consumer (m/f/d)

Company: Bertelsmann (Riverty)

Location: Heerenveen, Netherlands (Hybrid)

Job Type: Full-time

Category: User Research / UX Research / Product Design Operations

Date Posted: 2026-09-07

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (2 days in office per week)

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is critical for embedding human-centricity and evidence-based decision-making into Riverty's consumer financial services.

• The Senior User Researcher will be responsible for planning, conducting, and synthesizing mixed-method research to drive product strategy and enhance customer experiences.

• You will act as a key liaison, connecting user insights with data analytics, business objectives, and design strategy to influence both immediate product improvements and long-term product direction.

• This position requires a strong ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Product, Design, Engineering, and Data, to champion customer needs and drive impactful outcomes in a fast-paced FinTech environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Senior User Researcher," the responsibilities and requirements strongly indicate a role that bridges user research with product strategy and operations. The emphasis on connecting insights with data, influencing product direction, and working within an agile product development lifecycle positions this as a strategic operations-adjacent role within the design and product organization. The requirement to "build a research capability" and "establish research operations" suggests a foundational aspect to the role, making it more than just a pure researcher.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and execute comprehensive qualitative and quantitative user research plans across the entire product development lifecycle, from discovery to continuous improvement.

• Employ a diverse range of research methodologies (interviews, usability testing, surveys, diary studies, contextual inquiry) to uncover deep customer needs, motivations, behaviors, and pain points.

• Synthesize complex research findings into clear, actionable insights and compelling narratives that directly inform product strategy, service enhancements, and long-term customer experience design.

• Foster strong collaborative relationships with Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, Data Analysts, Product Operations, Marketing, and Brand teams to integrate research findings seamlessly into their workflows.

• Combine qualitative research insights with quantitative data, experimentation results, and business metrics to create holistic customer understanding and support data-driven strategic product decisions.

• Identify and articulate strategic opportunities by triangulating customer insights, market trends, organizational priorities, and product goals.

• Design and lead evaluative research initiatives to validate concepts, prototypes, and live product features, measuring key customer outcomes and business impact.

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of research repositories, insight libraries, and research operations to enhance organizational knowledge sharing and research maturity.

• Act as a vocal advocate for a human-centered, evidence-based culture, balancing customer needs with business objectives, technical feasibility, and measurable outcomes.

• Coach and mentor members of the design community and other colleagues on research methodologies and customer-centric thinking to build research capabilities across product teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities heavily lean into strategic influence and operationalizing research. The expectation to "connect user research, data and analytics, business objectives, and design strategy" and "help product teams identify strategic opportunities" goes beyond traditional research execution and into strategic operations. The mention of "research operations" and "insight management practices" further solidifies this operational aspect.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Design Research, or a related field is typically expected for senior-level research roles. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience: Extensive practical experience (5-10 years) in planning, conducting, and synthesizing both qualitative and quantitative user research throughout the product development lifecycle.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated expertise in mixed-method research design and execution, with the ability to select appropriate methodologies for diverse product and business inquiries.

• Proven ability to apply a strategic design mindset, effectively linking customer insights to business goals to shape product vision, service design, and long-term strategic direction.

• Experience collaborating closely with Product Analytics, Data Science, or Business Intelligence teams to integrate qualitative and quantitative evidence into actionable customer insights.

• Solid understanding of data and analytics principles, experimentation frameworks (e.g., A/B testing), customer metrics, and research triangulation for strategic decision-making.

• Exceptional synthesis and storytelling skills, with a strong track record of communicating complex research findings persuasively to various stakeholder groups.

• Proficient in facilitation, stakeholder management, and influencing techniques to align cross-functional teams around customer evidence and research-backed strategies.

• Experience designing and facilitating workshops that support product discovery, prioritization, and strategic decision-making processes.

• Strategic, analytical, and problem-solving capabilities, with an aptitude for identifying opportunities beyond immediate customer issues.

• Familiarity with agile product development methodologies and experience thriving in iterative, fast-paced work environments.

• Experience with AI-enabled research tools and practices, and a proactive approach to shaping future research capabilities.

• Proficiency with research and data management tools such as Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics, PowerBI, New Relic, or similar platforms. Preferred Skills:

• Experience in building and scaling a user research capability within multidisciplinary teams.

• Proven success in establishing research operations, insight repositories, or effective insight management practices.

• Demonstrated experience shaping product strategy or design strategy through comprehensive customer research and evidence synthesis.

• Experience partnering effectively with multiple designers and stakeholders to achieve strategic goals across complex product ecosystems.

• Prior experience within the financial services or FinTech industry.

• Familiarity with product frameworks and modern development technologies.

• Experience with B2C and/or B2B2C product research.

• Knowledge of accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and their practical application in design and research.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "nice to haves" highlight a strong preference for candidates who can not only conduct research but also operationalize it, build the function, and bring strategic thinking. This indicates the role is pivotal in establishing a mature research practice within Riverty's consumer division.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a diverse range of research projects demonstrating your ability to plan, execute, and synthesize both qualitative and quantitative studies.

• Include examples of how your research insights directly influenced product strategy, design decisions, and business outcomes, with clear articulation of the impact.

• Present case studies that highlight your mixed-method research approach, explaining why specific methodologies were chosen and how they addressed complex product or business questions.

• Demonstrate your ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Data) and how you integrated research findings into their workflows.

• Provide examples of how you've translated raw data and research findings into compelling, actionable recommendations for diverse stakeholder audiences. Process Documentation:

• Illustrate your process for identifying research objectives and translating them into research plans that align with product roadmaps and business goals.

• Detail your approach to synthesizing research data from multiple sources (interviews, surveys, analytics, experiments) into cohesive insights and strategic recommendations.

• Document your methods for communicating research findings and advocating for customer needs within an agile product development framework.

• Showcase examples of how you have contributed to or established research operations, knowledge management systems, or insight repositories.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the emphasis on establishing research operations and influencing strategy, a portfolio is crucial. It should not just show research outputs but also the researcher's strategic thinking, operational contributions, and ability to drive organizational change through research.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Senior User Researcher with 5-10 years of experience in Heerenveen, Netherlands, the estimated annual salary range is €70,000 - €95,000. This estimate considers the cost of living in the Netherlands, industry benchmarks for senior UX/Product Research roles in FinTech, and the hybrid work model.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and potential for performance-based bonuses.

• Comprehensive health insurance coverage.

• Generous paid time off and holiday allowance.

• Pension scheme contributions.

• Opportunities for professional development, training, and attending industry conferences.

• Hybrid work model offering flexibility with 2 days per week in the office.

• Access to modern, hybrid workspaces designed for collaboration and idea exchange.

• Employee assistance programs and well-being initiatives.

• Potential for travel to other European offices for team huddles or workshops.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours, estimated at 40 hours per week. The role offers flexibility within the hybrid model, allowing for a balance between focused work at home and collaborative time in the office.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is based on aggregated data for similar roles in the Netherlands, factoring in experience level, industry (FinTech), and the hybrid nature of the role. Benefits are typical for a large, established company like Bertelsmann.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Technology (FinTech), with a focus on enabling flexible payments and simplifying financial management for consumers and businesses. Riverty operates within the established Bertelsmann group, combining the stability of a large corporation with the agility of a fast-paced FinTech environment.

Company Size: Riverty is part of the Bertelsmann group, which is a global enterprise. Riverty itself employs over 4,000 people across 11 countries, indicating a large and international operation.

Founded: Riverty is a relatively new brand (launched in 2022) but is built upon established financial service entities within Bertelsmann. Bertelsmann itself was founded in 1835, providing a strong historical foundation.

Team Structure:

• The Senior User Researcher will report to the UX Design Lead, Consumer.

• You will be part of a highly international team comprising UX designers, UI designers, service designers, and UX writers.

• The role requires extensive collaboration with cross-functional consumer teams and peers across Europe.

• You will also work closely with Product Management, Engineering, Data Science, Product Operations, Marketing, and Brand teams. Methodology:

• Riverty emphasizes combining empathy, advanced technology, and data-driven insights to keep people and businesses in flow.

• The company operates with a hybrid setup, encouraging collaboration and idea exchange.

• A strong focus on human-centric design and evidence-based decision-making is core to their approach.

• Agile product development methodologies are likely employed, requiring iterative work and continuous improvement.

Company Website: https://www.riverty.com/ (Note: The provided URL in the input was riverty.com, and the Bertelsmann group is the parent company).

📝 Enhancement Note: The blend of a large, established parent company (Bertelsmann) with a dynamic FinTech brand (Riverty) suggests a culture that values stability, long-term vision, and robust processes, while also embracing innovation and speed. The user researcher will be instrumental in ensuring this innovation is customer-led.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a "Senior" User Researcher, indicating a mid-to-senior level position. It requires extensive experience and the ability to work autonomously, mentor others, and influence strategic direction. The expectation to "build a research capability" and "establish research operations" suggests a significant opportunity for impact and leadership in shaping the user research function at Riverty.

Reporting Structure: You will report directly to the UX Design Lead, Consumer. This provides a clear line of reporting within the design organization, with opportunities to influence broader product and GTM strategies through this leadership.

Operations Impact: The Senior User Researcher will have a profound impact on Riverty's success by ensuring that products and services are deeply aligned with consumer needs. By championing human-centricity and providing evidence-based insights, this role directly influences product-market fit, customer satisfaction, adoption rates, and ultimately, revenue generation and customer retention within the consumer segment. The ability to connect research with data and business objectives means the impact is measurable and strategic.

Growth Opportunities:

• Research Leadership: Opportunity to build and scale the user research function, establish best practices, and potentially lead a team as the capability matures.

• Strategic Influence: Deep involvement in shaping product strategy and long-term customer experience vision, moving beyond tactical research execution.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Develop strong partnerships and gain deep understanding across Product, Design, Engineering, and Data Science functions.

• FinTech Domain Expertise: Become a subject matter expert in consumer financial services research, a highly valuable niche.

• Mentorship & Coaching: Opportunity to mentor junior researchers and designers, fostering a customer-centric culture across the organization.

• Continuous Learning: Access to training, conferences, and the chance to work with cutting-edge research and AI tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title combined with the mandate to establish research operations and influence strategy suggests this is a pivotal role for career growth, offering a pathway to research leadership and strategic product roles.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Riverty utilizes hybrid workspaces designed for exchanging ideas and learning from others. These are modern, professional environments that support collaboration.

Office Location(s): The role is based in Amsterdam, Heerenveen, or Berlin, with a hybrid working model. For Heerenveen, the specific office is located at 8441 ER.

Workspace Context:

• The environment is international, with colleagues representing nearly 80 nationalities.

• Collaboration is a key aspect, with a focus on team huddles and cross-functional workshops.

• Expect to work with a diverse team of designers and researchers, fostering a rich learning environment.

• Access to necessary technology and tools for research and collaboration will be provided.

• The hybrid setup requires employees to be in the office approximately twice a week, facilitating face-to-face interaction and team cohesion.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, with an estimated 40 working hours per week. The hybrid model provides flexibility in how and where these hours are worked, balancing remote focus with in-office collaboration. This schedule is conducive to deep work required for research synthesis and analysis, while also allowing for spontaneous collaboration and team engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature and focus on collaborative workspaces suggest an environment that values both focused individual work and team synergy, common in modern tech and operations roles.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and resume, focusing on relevant experience and qualifications.

• Hiring Manager Interview: An in-depth discussion with the UX Design Lead, Consumer to assess your experience, research approach, strategic thinking, and fit with the team. Be prepared to discuss your background and motivations.

• Portfolio Presentation & Case Study: A dedicated session where you will present a curated selection of your work, likely focusing on 1-2 key projects. This is where you'll demonstrate your research process, insights, impact, and collaboration skills. Be ready to dive deep into your methodology, synthesis, and how your work influenced outcomes.

• Cross-functional Interview: You may meet with key stakeholders from Product, Engineering, or Data Science to assess your ability to collaborate and communicate research effectively across disciplines.

• Final Interview/Debrief: Potentially a final conversation with senior leadership or a broader team debrief to confirm fit and answer any remaining questions.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 projects that best showcase your senior-level capabilities, strategic impact, and mixed-method expertise. Ensure they align with the responsibilities and requirements of this role.

• Focus on Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the business problem, your research objectives, the methodologies used, your key insights, and crucially, the tangible impact your research had on the product or business. Use metrics where possible.

• Show Your Process: Detail your thought process, from research planning and participant recruitment to synthesis and recommendation development. Explain why you made certain choices.

• Highlight Collaboration: Demonstrate how you worked with Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Data Analysts. Show examples of how you integrated findings and influenced decisions.

• Tell a Story: Structure your presentations like compelling narratives. Start with the context, build through your research journey, and conclude with the impactful resolution and learnings.

• Prepare for Questions: Anticipate questions about your research ethics, handling difficult stakeholders, dealing with ambiguous problems, and how you integrate qualitative and quantitative data.

Challenge Preparation:

• Research Scenario: You might be given a hypothetical product or business problem and asked to outline your research approach, including methodologies, target users, and key questions you'd seek to answer.

• Insight Synthesis: You could be presented with sample research data (e.g., interview transcripts, survey results) and asked to synthesize key insights and propose strategic recommendations.

• Methodology Justification: Be prepared to defend your choice of research methods for specific scenarios.

• Collaboration Simulation: You might be asked how you would work with a specific stakeholder (e.g., a Product Manager focused on short-term metrics) to ensure user needs are considered.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "connecting user research, data and analytics, business objectives, and design strategy" means interviewers will be looking for strategic thinkers who can operate at the intersection of research and business operations, not just execute research tasks.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Research & Data Management: Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics (or similar platforms for qualitative data analysis, insight management, and survey administration).

• Analytics & Reporting: PowerBI (or similar BI tools like Tableau, Looker) for data visualization and analysis. New Relic (or similar APM/observability tools) for understanding product performance and user behavior in live environments.

• Product Analytics: Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics (or similar) for tracking user behavior and product adoption.

• Experimentation: Familiarity with A/B testing platforms and methodologies.

• Collaboration & Design: Standard collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Confluence) and design tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch) for integration with design workflows.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Experience leveraging product analytics platforms to understand user engagement, conversion funnels, and feature adoption.

• Ability to use BI tools to combine research insights with business metrics for a holistic view.

• Proficiency in creating dashboards and reports that clearly communicate user behavior and research findings to stakeholders. CRM & Automation:

• While not explicitly stated as a primary focus for this research role, understanding how CRM data (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms (e.g., Marketo, HubSpot) can inform user segmentation and research questions would be beneficial. Familiarity with how research insights can feed into automated customer journeys is also valuable.

📝 Enhancement Note: The mention of specific tools like Condens, TheyDo, Lyssna, Qualtrics, PowerBI, and New Relic indicates a preference for candidates who have hands-on experience with a modern, integrated research and analytics stack.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Human-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for the needs, motivations, and pain points of consumers. This value should permeate all research activities and influence product decisions.

• Evidence-Based Decision Making: A strong reliance on data and research findings to inform strategy and product development, moving away from assumptions and intuition alone.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Working effectively across diverse teams (Product, Design, Engineering, Data, Marketing) and openly sharing insights and methodologies to foster a shared understanding of the customer.

• Continuous Improvement & Agility: Embracing iterative development, learning from both successes and failures, and adapting research approaches to meet evolving product and business needs.

• Impact & Value Creation: Focusing research efforts on delivering measurable value to both customers and the business, demonstrating the ROI of user research.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Actively seeking out opportunities to partner with Product, Design, Engineering, and Data teams, embedding research into their workflows rather than operating in a silo.

• Proactive Communication: Regularly sharing findings, insights, and recommendations through various channels, tailored to different stakeholder needs and communication preferences.

• Facilitative Leadership: Guiding teams through research findings, workshops, and decision-making processes to ensure alignment and buy-in.

• Knowledge Sharing: Contributing to and leveraging shared research repositories and insight libraries, fostering a culture of collective learning.

• Constructive Feedback: Open to giving and receiving feedback on research approaches, methodologies, and insights to continuously improve quality and impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values emphasize a data-driven, customer-focused, and collaborative approach, which is typical of successful operations and product development teams in modern tech companies.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing Research Maturity: As potentially the first dedicated Senior User Researcher in the design organization, building out established research operations and processes from the ground up will be a significant undertaking.

• Balancing Strategic vs. Tactical: Managing the demand for both foundational strategic insights and immediate product validation research within an agile environment.

• Influencing Across Disciplines: Effectively communicating complex research findings and advocating for customer needs to diverse stakeholders with varying priorities and levels of research literacy.

• Integrating Mixed Methods: Seamlessly combining qualitative insights with quantitative data and experimentation to provide a truly holistic customer view.

• Navigating a Large Organization: Understanding and navigating the dynamics of a large, international company like Bertelsmann while driving change within Riverty.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Research Operations Leadership: Opportunity to define and build best practices for research operations, insight management, and knowledge sharing.

• Strategic Product Influence: Directly contribute to shaping product strategy and long-term vision for consumer financial services.

• FinTech Expertise: Deepen knowledge in the complex and evolving FinTech sector, particularly in consumer financial management and payments.

• AI in Research: Explore and implement AI-enabled research tools and methodologies, staying at the forefront of the field.

• Mentorship Programs: Potential to mentor junior designers and researchers, or be mentored by senior leaders within Bertelsmann or Riverty.

• Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Enhance skills in working with diverse international teams and stakeholders across different European markets.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the opportunity for significant impact and personal growth by taking initiative and driving the user research function forward.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you used mixed-method research to uncover a significant unmet customer need that led to a strategic shift in product direction." (Focus on your process, synthesis, and impact).

• "How would you approach building a user research capability and establishing research operations within a growing FinTech company?" (Highlight your strategic thinking, operational planning, and stakeholder buy-in strategies).

• "Imagine a scenario where Product Management prioritizes a feature based on business assumptions, conflicting with your research findings. How would you navigate this situation to advocate for the customer?" (Demonstrate your influencing skills, data-backed argumentation, and collaborative approach).

• "How do you balance the need for deep, qualitative insights with the demands for quick, quantitative validation in an agile environment?" (Showcase your methodological flexibility and ability to prioritize research efforts). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Riverty and its mission to combine empathy, technology, and data in financial services?" (Research Riverty's values, mission, and recent news).

• "How do you see the role of user research evolving in the FinTech industry, especially with the rise of AI?" (Show your forward-thinking perspective and awareness of industry trends).

• "Describe your ideal collaboration with Product Managers, Designers, and Data Analysts. How do you ensure research is integrated effectively?" (Align your collaboration style with the role's requirements).

• "What does 'human-centricity' mean to you in the context of financial services, and how would you champion it at Riverty?" (Articulate your understanding of customer-centricity in a specific industry context). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: For each case study, follow a clear narrative: Problem/Opportunity -> Your Role & Objectives -> Research Methodology & Process -> Key Insights & Findings -> Recommendations -> Impact & Outcomes -> Learnings.

• Quantify When Possible: Use metrics to demonstrate the impact of your research on key performance indicators (e.g., conversion rates, task success, NPS scores, reduction in support tickets).

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals where appropriate (e.g., personas, journey maps, key quotes, screenshots of prototypes/products influenced by your research).

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your methodology, your synthesis process, and how you handled challenges or unexpected findings.

• Tailor to Riverty: If possible, subtly connect your examples to the FinTech space or challenges Riverty might face.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation focuses on strategic thinking, operationalization of research, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to influence decision-making, reflecting the senior and strategic nature of this role.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior User Researcher position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the job search platform.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight keywords from the job description, such as "User Research," "Qualitative Research," "Quantitative Research," "Product Strategy," "Design Strategy," "Mixed-Method Research," "Stakeholder Management," "FinTech," and any specific tools mentioned (e.g., Qualtrics, PowerBI). Quantify your achievements with metrics wherever possible to demonstrate impact.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful research projects that showcase your senior-level experience, strategic influence, and ability to work with data and cross-functional teams. Ensure each project clearly outlines the problem, your process, key insights, recommendations, and measurable outcomes.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on storytelling, clarity, and demonstrating your strategic thinking and collaborative approach. Be ready to answer in-depth questions about your methodology and impact.

• Research Riverty & Bertelsmann: Understand Riverty's mission, values, and the broader context of Bertelsmann. Familiarize yourself with their products and services, particularly in the consumer financial services space, to better tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.